Vibratory feeding systems are used to perform different operations on discrete articles in a production or packaging line. Such operations include filtering, sorting, singulation and transportation, amongst others.
An important factor in designing a vibratory feeding system is the manner in which the vibration tray is mounted to the vibration drive of the vibratory feeding system. The vibration drive and the vibration tray should not experience relative motion between each other during operation and the connection should efficiently transmit vibrations to the tray. Loose connections between the vibration drive and the vibration tray can result in several problems. For example, components may rattle against each other, resulting in a loss of vibration potential and possible damage to the components of the vibratory feeding system.
Another requirement of vibratory feeding systems is to allow quick removal and installation of the tray. This is useful in applications where the tray needs cleaning between different production runs to avoid cross-contamination or use of a different tray.
Thus, there is a need in the industry for a device for securing a vibration tray to a vibration drive which permits the tray to be quickly and easily removed and re-installed on the vibration drive and at the same time allows an effective transmission of vibratory motion from the vibratory drive to the tray.